Bayer Crop Science Australia - Broad spectrum fungicide provides flexibility in Tasmanian brassica crops

Date:09-08-2021

Using the right fungicide is a critical decision along the northwest coast of Tasmania, because wet weather that can sweep through the area creates ideal disease conditions, particularly in spring.

After first successfully using INFINITO^®, a new fungicide from Bayer, to control downy mildew in his onion crops, northwest Tasmanian grower Ian Charleston has now also turned to the chemistry for white blister control in cauliflowers.

INFINITO is a fungicide with two unique actives, a Group 28 and a Group 43, with no known resistance globally. Lead agronomist with Walker Ag Consultancy, Tim Walker, has been recommending the product at Ian’s property to keep white blister out, increasing yield and quality.

“INFINITO is new chemistry, and it delivers quite a short withholding period - only seven days on onions and it's got a nil withholding period on brassica vegetables,” Tim says.

“This is really important, so that we can keep the brassica crop nice and healthy, right up to the day of harvest. White blister can be quite a devastating disease in brassica vegetables, and the weather conditions this year have meant it’s been quite a high-pressure season for white blister.

Tim says the short rainfast period of INFINITO, just needing to be dry on the plant, is also incredibly invaluable.

“It’s especially the case here in northwest Tasmania, where we can have a shower of rain come out of nowhere, or a grower needs to get a crop irrigated in a timely manner,” he observes.

Ian agrees that INFINITO played an important role this season in keeping white blister out of his cauliflowers.
 

“We put two applications on for white blister and it seems to have cleaned it up really well. I haven't seen any lately and we're about a month away from harvest, and it's looking very good. In other years we might still have a little bit of white blister now, but we seemed to have cleaned it up 100 per cent,” Ian explains.

“This control means we will not be getting any rejects from white blister, so financially we are much better off than we have been in some years when we've had white blister in our crops.”

Key to the disease control program is continuous monitoring. Ian is always keeping an eye on disease pressure, with Tim Walker also inspecting the Charleston’s crops weekly. The routine is just part of the overall spray control program, which has benefited greatly from the flexibility INFINITO has introduced.

“We're very busy at times of the year, so to be able to be flexible and be able to put INFINITO on in those periods of time where it's getting close to the end of the growing season, it's very effective,” Ian says.

“Using INFINITO is also very beneficial in that I can use it on a number crops, which means that I don't have to have as many different chemicals on hand.”

Tim says by having INFINITO as another tool in the shed, his growers have been able to control white blister incredibly well.

“By preventing white blister from spreading in the crop, both yield and quality is increased. What this means for a grower applying INFINITO to crops, is that they’re actually getting more money in the back pocket at the end of a day,” he says.

The performance of INFINITO has convinced Ian Charleston that it needs to be a big part of his fungicide program moving forward.

“We'll be using it on our cauliflowers and onions in the coming seasons, and we're very interested in using it on potatoes as well in the coming seasons for the control of late blight. All the information says it's very good,” he says.

INFINITO^® is a Registered Trademark of the Bayer Group.